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There's so much to do to prepare for your baby's arrival. Learn more about what you need to do before, during and after delivery.
From writing a birth plan to getting your baby's picture taken in the hospital, this is your go-to source for delivering your baby at Virtua.
When you are 5 to 7 months pregnant, you should preregister online with
the hospital where you’ll deliver your baby.
If you have questions regarding your admission, call:
If you have questions regarding your insurance coverage or billing arrangements, call:
Remember, no matter how well you’ve planned, there’s no way to anticipate all the possibilities that accompany the birth experience. It’s good to remain flexible and to remember, we all share a common goal – the safe delivery of your baby.
A birth plan is a simple one page statement outlining your preferences during the birth of your baby. If you desire to have a formalized birth plan, here are some things to know:
A doula is trained to give non-medical assistance to women during labor, which can include emotional and physical support. If you are considering a doula to be a part of your 3-person labor support team, here are some things to remember:
Read this letter to patients.
Consider these things when choosing a doula.
When preparing for your hospital stay, consider what you and your partner or coach will need before, during and after delivery. Also, consider what you’ll need for your baby.
Coming to labor and delivery:
Before your baby arrives, you'll need to review your insurance coverage for labor and delivery.
Important note: Typically insurance companies require notification of birth within 24 hours after birth to enroll your new baby into your policy; it is critical that you consult your insurance carrier to ensure your baby’s coverage.
Virtua accepts most major insurance plans. To ensure Virtua accepts your insurance carrier, call 1-888-Virtua-3 (1-888-847-8823).
Unless you experience problems with your pregnancy or go into labor spontaneously, your delivery should occur after the 39th week for the health of your baby and you.
Preregistered:
If you are preregistered, an admission representative will simply verify your information to ensure it's accurate and make copies of the necessary documentation (e.g. insurance card). Preregister here for your delivery.
Not preregistered:
If you have not preregistered, the admission representative will ask you to provide identification, emergency contact and insurance information. Depending on how your labor is progressing, this may be done at your bedside.
If you think you are in labor and come to the hospital, you'll be evaluated and monitored in our triage area.
About the triage area:
If you are in labor:
Virtua offers a complete range of anesthesia services to help make your delivery safe and comfortable. If you are planning a vaginal birth, we offer patient-controlled epidural anesthesia (PCEA). PCEA gives you the ability to adjust your level of pain control, so that you can more fully experience the joy of childbirth. If you are planning a cesarean section, we offer a few anesthetic options.
Vaginal birth:
Cesarean section:
Support team:
Care partner:
Contact:
We share in your family’s excitement about your new arrival, but it’s no surprise that giving birth can take a very long time. For the comfort of your family and friends who are not part of your birthing support team, we recommend that they wait at home until your baby has arrived. Also, for safety and privacy issues, we cannot allow visitors to wait outside your room or in the hallway.
More than 90 percent of car seats are improperly used or installed. To ensure that your infant car seat is properly fitted into your vehicle, get your car seat inspected by Virtua’s certified child passenger safety seat technicians. This free service is available to all families that are leaving the hospital between 10:30 am and noon.
Virtua Mount Holly
You can obtain a birth certificate from Mount Holly Township. You’ll receive a form with ordering instructions in your discharge packet before you leave the hospital. If you need more information, call the Virtua Mount Holly birth registry department at 609-914-7018.
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes
You can obtain a birth certificate from the City of Camden. You’ll receive a form with ordering instructions in your discharge packet before you leave the hospital. If you need more information, call Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes VIP clerk at 856-757-3503.
Virtua Voorhees
You can obtain a birth certificate from Voorhees Township. You’ll receive a form with ordering instructions in your discharge packet before you leave the hospital. If you need more information, call the Virtua Voorhees birth registry department at 856-247-2827 or 856-247-2836 .
Before you leave the hospital, you’ll receive a discharge packet that contains:
The necessary forms will be collected by your nurse before you leave the hospital.
The first hour after your baby’s birth, or the golden hour, is ideally reserved for you, your partner and your baby to get to know each other. Friends and other family members do not participate in this special hour unless you invite them to do so. The Golden Hour is important because:
As often as possible and when medical conditions allow, the delivering doctor will place your baby on your bare chest immediately after birth. Studies show that skin-to-skin contact makes babies happier, helps regulate their temperature, and stabilizes heart and breathing rates.
Shortly after your baby’s birth, the nurse will administer eye ointment to protect against infection and give a vitamin K injection to assist with blood clotting. If you have questions regarding these treatments, discuss them with your baby’s physician prior to your arrival at the hospital.
After you and your baby have recovered from delivery, you will be transported together to one of our large mother-baby rooms. The rooms provide space and privacy for your new family and promote 24-hour rooming in. We encourage you and your baby to remain together 24 hours a day and discourage prolonged separation periods. While rooming in, you can achieve two important parenting goals: Get to know your baby well and help your baby feel good.
Benefits include:
Should you not feel well enough to care for your baby, or if your baby requires a medical procedure such as circumcision, there is a nursery in each of our mother-baby units.
When your baby arrives, your care partner may be with you and your newborn any time during your hospital stay. For your safety and privacy, all fathers or care partners will be given a lanyard to identify them as a caregiver. Other friends and family are welcome to visit you. Visitors must check in to receive a visitor's pass.
If you need special treatment or close monitoring after delivery, we may limit visits from family and friends (excluding your baby’s father or support person) to 20 to 30 minutes per visit. This enables you to get the rest necessary to get well. During this time, a maximum of 3 people may be at your bedside at one time.
Quiet time is from 2 to 4 pm. We encourage you to limit visitors, so that you can rest and bond with your newborn. But if you choose, you can invite friends and family to join you during this time.
In addition, for the safety and health of our patients, we ask that those with contagious illnesses, such as a cold or the flu, refrain from visiting the hospital.
Receive a free portrait session of your new baby when you deliver at Virtua Mount Holly or Virtua Voorhees. Proofs will be available to view at your bedside immediately after the session. There is no obligation to purchase. In fact, the photo can be automatically posted online free of charge. Family and friends can view the photo on our private Web site and have all their questions – gender, name, weight, date and time of birth – answered. Plus, parents can add a special message, and friends and family can sign the baby's guestbook. Your baby’s Web site is password-protected; only the people you’ve invited will have access.
Here’s how Virtua Nursery works:
Take an online video tour:
Or register for an in-person tour:Susan expected an uneventful delivery of her baby until it became a life-threatening emergency. See how Virtua doctors saved mom and baby.
Watch VideoThanks to the quick actions of Virtua's doctors and nurses, Alicia is here to share her story with her baby.
Watch VideoChristine had lost two premature babies. Virtua's Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program provided hope and an unconventional treatment plan to help deliver a healthy baby boy.
Watch Video